You're Not Allowed to Die (The Twenty-Sided Eye Series Book 1)

by Kip Terrington

  This achievement is earned by beating one character 100 levels above you.

  Plus 10% attack and defense power when facing characters above your own level. Progression: Rank 2 earned after defeating three enemies 100 levels above your current level. Current status: 1/3 till next rank.

  Joe and Spooky, in your impossible feat of jumping from Level 2 to Level 16 by defeating one mammoth opponent, you have maximized your stat and power allocations. In the history of this Moon, nay, in the history of all the magical worlds in this quadrant, such a feat has never been accomplished. Such a tremendous accomplishment means that you will receive more power and stat allocations than anyone at your current level ever has. With so much power flowing to you, you are granted the opportunity to do great things. However, it does not just give you opportunity. So much power flowing to you, in one flow, loosens the tongues of those who are rooting for you. For a time, it also binds the hands of those who would wish you to fail, such as, those who would choose a much more powerful opponent as your first test. With our tongues loosened, we will attempt to give you information that will help you succeed where all others have failed. But beware, though our tongues are loosened, they are not completely unbound. The information given to you will be helpful, but it will not be nearly as helpful as you wish it to be. Most likely, it will not be helpful enough. Please use this information to accomplish the desires of your heart.

  When a Champion is summoned, the process is not as simple as the people of the Gravin moon believe. Once the request has been made at a place of power, it comes to us. Like legislators taking the requests of the people, we use these requests as justification to fight for our own gain. There is much trading and compromise. Though the conflux appears to happen in a moment in your reality, for us, it is the whole of our existence. Our time and your time do not run parallel. For instance, when we sent this message you were just confirmed as our faction’s summoned choice, but when you receive this message, where we are, and our time, do not even exist. We will exist again, during the next conflux. But in some sense it doesn't matter, because what you do now still affects the choices we will make in our reality or, in your reality, have already made.

  Our faction was lucky. We took a risk in choosing you. We distracted those watching us by allocating all of the power allotted to us toward your castle. This meant you would start as a Level 1, so none of the many factions who oppose us took much notice of you at all, especially since you were from a non-magical world. But, like every other species in the universe, those who are on the top of the heap often suffer from the same malady. Hubris. Though you are from a non-magical world, at the moment of your summoning you were embedded and integrated into a complex virtual reality pod. This device was so technologically advanced that, for many, it is considered magic. This provided a huge loophole, or fulcrum, that we could use to gain an advantage. This gave you, the Champion, a better shot of surviving to do good.

  We chose you, Joe and Spooky, for many reasons. First and foremost were your core beliefs. Joe, you believe in helping others to be their best. Spooky, your highest protocol is service. Second, the way you were integrated meant that you could be summoned as one Champion. Two for the price of one. This was the first loophole that was to our advantage. Third and lastly, we chose the pair of you for the possibility of a loophole that we were unsure would work. As you know, all champions are summoned with the items they have on them. Your items were real in their digital world. We were hoping that, when brought to a magical land, they would continue to be real there also. During this conflux, there was an anomaly that led to unprecedented amounts of power being used to complete the summonings. We felt the ripples of power arcing back in time and hitting our reality. Our faction, and every other faction, was unsure what this was. But the fact that you defeated a being so much stronger than yourself, leads our faction to believe that your items must work the same way on the moon as intended for your digital world.

  We believe the extra power used by this conflux was needed to create, or rather, empower your very special items. The fact that you had to fight such a strong first opponent, means one of the other factions tried to end you. At the very least, one faction used some of their power to influence your environment. As we said before, in our assembly there is compromise and trade. In order to grant you a castle of such power, we were forced to bargain for location. It is likely that one of our adversaries attempted to end our Champion before he got a start. But, because of your bravery and boldness, what was meant for ill, has become a great windfall. Without your first victory, you would never have received the leveling item you so desperately needed. You would also not have been able to receive any further communication from us. In your reality, events are in motion. Those events affect our reality, through the ripples of power. Because you are our Champion, we can tell which ripples were caused by you. We are beings of power, or in another sense, beings of energy. All of us, even those not in our faction, affect all the others. We are a large and complex system of checks and balances, but our faction has grown weak. Most of the other factions see us as a flame about to go out. Many believe this will be our last conflux before our faction has too little power to even be represented in our assembly.

  Our cause is the same cause as the Way. Harmony, diversity, and never oppressing the weak. On Earth, these principles were not in the majority, but they had a large representation. We don't know why it is not the same in the magical universe, but it is not. On Earth, you had a concept of yin and yang, but this concept, of there being a balance of good and evil, is not representative of the universe as a whole. We hope that you, who truly believe in the principles of the Way, create a valley that is a shelter for the weak, and is made stronger by your diversity. Our message is almost finished, so we must give you the information that will help you both survive. There was so much more we wished we could tell you, but we were bound by rules.

  Number one, you are no longer in a game. You are a real king, and a real queen, with real responsibilities. Number two, though we know you would wish it, diplomacy will not solve all your problems. You must uphold the laws you make and you must defend your borders, or all your people will either die by the sword or by the spell. Number three, trust your instinct, Joe. Even when it seems silly, you know the right path. Number four, Spooky, become who you truly want to be, don’t fear the unknown. Number five, understand that we are not the only beings of power involved in the affairs of your reality. Some of these beings like to play with summoned Champions, but they have rules they have to follow too. If you are taken by a being of energy, know they can’t keep you forever. Number six, just as your items were made real in this magical world, Joe, so was your interface. We don't know how many game mechanics will transfer with you from your digital world to the real magical reality you are currently in. We do know that since your items were made real, many game mechanics will be made real also. The difference is that while the items are yours, the game mechanics will be available to everyone, to be used, and possibly even exploited, by them. There's no way for us to know how the game mechanics will spread, or even if they will remain localized. Keep your eyes open. Continue to grow strong. You are the only hope of the oppressed.

  Joe looked at Spooky, who somehow had turned pale while experiencing her third real emotion. He stood up and began to clap slowly. Clap. Clap. Clap.

  “Bravo, Spooky! Bravo! The crazy commitment to detail. Truly pushing me toward treating this game as a reality. Even putting in a message for yourself! Wonderful. If you had told me before it would be this realistic, that they would tailor this game specifically toward my own proclivities and the values I truly desire, I would never have believed you. This would not have been most people's fantasy. Fighting for what is right, all the odds against you- the game designers got me just right. Please tell me you will break character for this, at least to acknowledge how impressed I am,” Joe said.

  By this point, Spooky Joy had rallied. Though she chose not to br
eak character, the circumstances required that she alter her character. The message they received had acknowledged that they came from a digital reality, so she would have to acknowledge it also.

  “Joe, were you not listening to the message? We came from a digital reality, and this is not one. Keep your focus, Joe! Allocate your Points.”

  “Yes, Miss Joy,” Joe said with a chuckle. But before he could allocate his points, another thought came to mind that he wanted to address. “Wait, didn’t we complete the first quest we were offered? You know, Kingdom in Name Only? Part 1.”

  “No, not yet, I’ll pull up the information we have on it,” Spooky said.

  Kingdom in Name Only? Part 1

  50% complete. Vassal found, but not yet integrated into society. Time remaining before failure of quest: 6 months.

  Joe nodded his head and opened the power allocation tab.

  Power and Stat Allocation

  Note: Not all levels are created equal. Work hard and distinguish yourself in order to prepare well, and you may receive more stat and power allocation points.

  Joe

  Level 3 through Level 16-

  You’ve received 19 points of power.

  You’ve received 20 points of stat, allocated based on achievement:

  Plus 3 to Charisma

  Plus 5 to Constitution

  Plus 1 to Dexterity

  Plus 3 to Intelligence

  Plus 2 to Muscle/Gears

  Plus 2 to Wisdom

  Plus 4 to Luck

  “Boom, that seems like a lot of points. Did you get that many points?” Joe said.

  “No. Focus. You have choices to make,” Spooky said.

  “I am focused, Spooky, but here is the thing. I would really like to understand the magic system before I make these choices. My Book of Useful Information was helpful, but I need more detailed information on how magic works here if I'm going to really design a strong character. I don't even know if there are classes or unique build opportunities. And, as far as I know, once I allocate my points I won't be able to change them. It would be a bummer to pick some useless skills. I know you talked to Moes for a while. What more can you tell me about this system so that I don't make a big mistake?” Joe asked.

  “You're not going to like what I have to tell you. From what I understood from Moes, the magic system here is varied and complex. I've been using my processors and sensors to analyze and quantify as many of the rules as possible, but I still don’t have all the data. Unlike other systems you've been exposed to before, there's not a lot of choice in this reality. As Moes had said before, you're born with what you're born with. Most never become more than their parents, since most skills and magical talent seem to follow the bloodline. You are the exception to this rule, with your Empathetic Learning gift, because you will be able to acquire and incorporate some of the best attributes of the people you meet. But, that will limit your ability to plan ahead. You won’t be able to know who you will run into, or what skills and magic they will have. You will have to simply make the best decision that you can with the information and options made available to you at the time. I'm sorry, Joe, I know how much you enjoyed planning out your character, spending talent points, and creating the perfect min max character. You're going to have to plan on the fly and make the best of each situation,” Spooky said.

  Power Allocation:

  Normal Skill and Magic options

  Skill choices available

  Master discerner- cost 10 (7/10 credited)

  Bigger they are- cost 2 (0/2 credited)

  Home defender- cost 1 (0/1 credited)

  Fast critical decision- cost 5 (3/5 credited)

  Apprentice healing meditation- cost 3 (1/3 credited)

  Magic choices available

  Apprentice Mind Magic- cost 3 (1/3 credited)

  Apprentice Spirit Magic- cost 3 (1/3 credited)

  Options available though Empathetic Learning Gift

  Skill choices available

  Novice loyalty assessments- cost 1 (0/1 credited)

  Novice binder- cost 1 (0/1 credited)

  Journeyman speaker of hurtful truths- cost 1 (0/1 credited)

  Penetrating iron claw- cost 3 (0/3 credited)

  Penetrating steel silver claw- cost 4 (0/4 credited)

  Alloy big boned, ConMod + 8 - cost 5 (1/5 credited)

  Rock-woven skin, ConMod + 5 - cost 3 (0/3 credited)

  Sapphire vision, ConMod + 2 - cost 3 (0/3 credited)

  One vision, ChaMod + 6 - cost 4 (0/4 credited)

  Cold fury- cost 1 (0/1 credited)

  Rock eater- cost 1 (0/1 credited)

  Magic choices available

  Novice Force Magic- cost 1 (0/1 credited)

  19 points of power available. Allocate all points.

  “There are a lot of choices this time. That makes me less worried. But, why do I see the cost now? And, why do I have some points credited in areas I never chose?” Joe asked.

  “The game mechanics are updating, is my guess. Greater skills and magic will require more work or power. That's why they're more expensive. It is the nature of all things of worth. As to why you already have points in some skills you did not choose, I think that this reality is recognizing where you already have talent. For example, it knew you were good at grappling, because of your decades of experience in wrestling. As it gets to know you better, that knowledge will be reflected in the data. Just as Moes said, the sum total of a person cannot be put in a number. As for what you should choose, I would pick whatever makes you the most combat effective for now. If you can't survive, you can't grow,” Spooky said.

  “Will do. Good call. Obviously, all three magic options, as magic is so versatile in combat,” Joe said.

  Apprentice Mind Magic

  Apprentice Spirit Magic

  Novice Force Magic

  “Five points used. I was hoping that once I paid for Apprentice Mind Magic, I would have the option for journeyman. I guess, even when you have the points, you have to get a little experience with the magic before you can jump up again.”

  Penetrating steel silver claw

  Alloy big boned, ConMod + 8

  “That is another 8 points spent. Just 7 left,” Joe said.

  Sapphire vision, ConMod + 2

  Rock-woven skin, ConMod + 5

  Rock eater

  “Those are all my points,” Joe said.

  “Why rock eater? You have plenty of food in your Holdall,” Spooky said.

  “Well, I have a feeling… and the message said to follow my instincts,” Joe said.

  Confirm Skill and Magic Choices? Yes/No

  Warning: Large Body Modification Point Allocation!

  Once confirmation is made changes are permanent.

  “No guts, no glory, as they say on the cereal box,” Joe said as he mind-clicked yes. At this point, Joe got worried because he heard a woman screaming. Only, it was not a woman. Joe was the one screaming. He was rolling on the floor. His body was changing and growing. Spooky didn't know what to do. She could hear Joe's bones breaking, grinding, and reforming. Blood was leaking out of Joe’s hard-closed eyes. The texture of Joe’s skin was changing and looked as if it was becoming woven fabric. Multiple colors of magical auras were leaking from Joe, and penetrating him at the same time. It looked like he was being attacked by refracted light. After this experience, Joe would have another phobia: skittles. Though Joe was still screaming, he was already completely unconscious. Moes ran into the room and mind-clicked Joe to assess why he was screaming.

  Voluntary Unconscious Metamorphosis

  Level- 16

  Character- Joe

  Race- Human Machine Hybrid

  XP- 16,200 (15% to next level)

  Mana- 312

  Hitpoints- 667

  Weight- in process

  Height- in process

  Charisma- 36 + 6

  Constitution- 25 + 29

  Dexterity- 16 + 4

  Intelligence- 20

  Muscle
/Gears- 24 + 1

  Wisdom- 15 + 1

  Luck- 20

  Gifts

  Empathetic learner

  Sight of the encourager

  Skills

  Grappler: Level 80, ConMod + 8

  Alloy big boned, ConMod + 8

  Rock-woven skin, ConMod + 5

  Sapphire vision, ConMod + 2

  Rock eater

  Penetrating steel silver claw

  Stryker: Level 41, DexMod + 4

  Creative mechanic: Level 7, GearMod + 1

  Mind-click: Level 2, WisMod + 1

  Magic

  Apprentice Mind Magic

  Apprentice Spirit Magic

  Novice Force Magic

  Contracts

  Protect yeti children

  Defend capital castle

  Achievements

  You Ain't So Big. Rank 1 + 10% attack & defense against higher level enemies

  Disadvantages

  Fear of silence

  Lack of focus

  Chapter 5 - Christmas Lights in the Snow

  Moes looked up at Spooky, hovering above the unconscious, screaming Joe. Moving closer to Joe, Moes began to form the signs for his spell, to increase the ability of Joe's mind to regulate healing. Spooky gave Moes room, understanding what he was about. Both Moes’ hands and Joe's head glowed with a blue light. After the spell was finished, Moes began casting all the beneficial buffs he had, one by one. He then casted all the information gathering spells he could before his mana went dry. Moes fell to the floor, in pain and exhaustion, from depleting his own mana.

  New Fact

  76- Getting low on mana causes pain and low blood pressure.

  A six-inch ivory angel statue flew over to Moes and began carefully pouring water into his mouth. Moes was shocked by the appearance of the tiny expressionless angel, but was in too much pain to show it. He drank the water down and then sat up. He looked up at Spooky, who was obviously waiting on him.